The Mother She Never Knew
by AngryMew2
Summary: Matt and Sora were married and had a baby girl. The Sora died of cancer. This story is about how their child finds out about who her real mother was. It was originally supposed to be a Mother's Day fic, but I didn't finish it in time.


Disclaimer-I'm not even Japanese

Disclaimer-I'm not even Japanese!How could I own Digimon?

The Mother She Never Knew 

**Start Flashback**

"Matt, do me a favor."

"Yes, dear?"

"Don't hide me from Miranda when I'm gone.Oh, and read this paper."

"I promise.She will know who you are."He took the piece of paper, folded it, and slipped it into his pocket.

"Goodbye, Matt." Were her last to words to him.

"I love you, Sora."

**End Flashback**

That was all in the past though.Just a memory.A memory that was barely intact anymore.Matt heaved a huge sigh and looked down at the picture he had been gazing at for the past hour.It was a good thing his daughter was at school.Mother's Day was coming up in a few weeks.He still had no idea about what to get Mimi.There would be time for that later.Matt rose from his chair, put the picture of Sora away in a drawer for safekeeping and proceeded to the cemetery.After a few minutes of searching, he found the grave marked "Ishida".

"Hey, Sora." He said to headstone. "It'll be Mother's Day in a few weeks.I'll tell her then."He had put off telling his daughter, Miranda, about her real mother.As far as she was concerned, Sora Takenouchi had never existed and her mother was Mimi.She looked so much like Sora, though.Sooner or later she was going to find out.But he just hadn't been able to do it.The pain had kept him from revealing the truth.The pain of remembering.He had to tell her.After dinner on Mother's Day.He would do it then.

**Miranda's P.O.V.**

Miranda walked home from school, deep in thought.She had been thinking about this particular subject more than ever lately.Probably because Mother's Day was near.But it still plagued her.The ever-present question.Why was her mother's hair brown, her father's blonde, and hers red?It was almost as if she had been adopted.Miranda knew that wasn't true, however.She had seen her birth certificate.But who was the woman named "Sora Takenouchi" on the certificate?Maybe it was a midwife, or one of the nurses.But it sure wasn't her mother.

Miranda sighed and pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she walked into her favorite Hallmark store.It was time to buy a Mother's Day Present.

The shopkeeper was a fat, jolly man who knew her very well.

"Hello, Miranda.The usual?" Miranda usually came in to buy candy and magazines.

"Well, that too, but Albert, I need an ideal present for Mother's Day.What would you recommend?"

"I got just the thing!" Albert walked to back of the store and came out a moment later with a box in his hands.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Look." He opened the box and lifted out an antique jewelry box.It was china and was painted all over in a flower pattern.On the inside it was lined with pink silk and had 3 separate compartments.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "How much is it?"

"Well, normally it would be 100, but for you I'll make it 75.99.And with the price of your regular stuff, your total comes to…" he rung up all the items on the cash register. "79 dollars even."

"Thank you so much!" Miranda opened her wallet and paid for the jewelry box, candy, and magazines.Albert wrapped up the jewelry box and put it back in its box.

"Don't let your mom see it." he said with a wink.

"Oh don't worry, I won't.Thanks again, Albert!" she said, hurrying out the door.

Upon arriving home, Miranda found the house empty.She took her purchases up to her room and hid the box in her closet.After doing what little homework she had [A/N-A three-day weekend was coming up], Miranda went up to the attic.It was very dark and dusty up there.Not to mention stuffy.After a bit of searching, she found an old picture album with the words "Prom Pictures" written in gold on the cover.Miranda opened the album and flipped through it.Sure enough, there was her dad.But who was that other woman with him?She looked a lot like Miranda.They were both skinny and had red hair.On closer inspection, Miranda saw that she even had her soft, amber eyes.It was so strange.Upon looking further through the album, Miranda saw that the strange woman was in all of the pictures with her father.She also found the remainders of a red rose with a scarlet ribbon wrapped around the stem.

Miranda was upstairs with the albums until nearly 7 o'clock.Miranda checked her watch and gasped.She closed the albums and got up.She would come back tomorrow.She hurried down the attic steps, brushing dust off herself.Miranda walked into her room and opened the book she was currently reading, "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, to wait for dinner.

[3 days before Mother's Day]

Miranda took a deep breath and walked into the living room where her father was watching TV.She had to ask about the strange woman in all the pictures.She hoped it wasn't anything he didn't want to remember, but she just so darn curious.She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Dad," she began "can I ask you a question?"

He shut off the TV. "Sure, Miranda, what is it?" he looked right at her.

"Well, I've been going through some old photo albums lately and I've seen your old prom pictures and stuff, but there was this other woman with you, not mom.Who was the woman?"

**Author's P.O.V.**

Matt took a deep breath.This was NOT the way he had intended for Miranda to find out.Sora would want her to know, he told himself.

"The woman in the pictures is your real mother." He said finally.

Miranda's mouth fell open. "But…I…how?"

He continued, tears in his eyes. "Long before you were born, before I married Mimi, I had another wife.Her name was Sora Takenouchi.She died when you were an infant.She was my only real love."

"How did she die?"

"It was brain cancer.Before she died, she wrote something to me on a piece of paper.I've never read it, but I will now." He walked to the closet, took out the old piece of paper Sora had given him so many years ago, and began to read.First there was a verse from a book.

My baby, my blood, my honest truth.Beseech me not to leave thee.Whither thou goest, I will go.Where I lodge, we lodge together.Where I die, you'll be buried at last.

_Then there was an unfinished poem underneath it._

My dear sweet Yamato 

_Though I must leave you behind me_

_There is always a place where you can find me_

_When the wind blows your hair, that's my hand on your face_

_When a tree gives you shade, that's my loving embrace_

_When the sun gives you freckles, that's me tickling my boy._

_When the rain wets your hair, those are my tears of joy._

_When the long grass enfold you, that's me holding you tight._

It ended there.She must have been too weak to finish it.Damn cancer.Damn it!Damn it!He thought bitterly through the tears.Matt took a deep breath, wiped his eyes and returned to the lving room, where Miranda was still sitting, looking confused and sad at the same time.

"Dad," she said shakily. "Why didn't you tell me about her before?"

"I guess it was the pain.I didn't want to relive all the pain I went through when she died."

"You could have told me." She said, her voice no longer shaky. "I heard this quote on Oprah once. Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.You've been letting yourself suffer.Suffer with the pain of carrying her inside all your life since she died.Open up.You can talk to me.I'll be seventeen in June, Dad.You can talk to me about things like this."

"Thank you Miranda.There's something I want you to have." He got up, went back to the closet, and picked up a picture in a gold frame.It was his favorite picture of Sora.It had been taken on the ir prom night when they were doing singles.She was wearing a crimson silk gown with spaghetti straps and looked absolutely beautiful.He walked back to the living room and handed the picture to Miranda.

"That picture was taken on our prom night.She was about your age when that was taken."

"Thank you, Dad.I'm glad I know who Sora is now.You don't have to hide her from me any more."

The End 

A/N-The poem is what I could remember of the one part of the Rugrats Mother's Day special.The quote is from The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

A Dedication: To all those who have lost their lives or a loved one to cancer. We just had a student die at my school who was in 6th grade.It turns out she died of a brain tumor. This story is also dedicated to her.Her name was Hannah Miller.


End file.
